Why tourists heart us

With the holidays here, the dollar at an all-time low and 45.5 million visitors expected this season, it’s time to embrace the enemy as our own. Meet the new New Yorker—meet the tourist.

Photograph: Neil Beckerman

You are not imagining things—the city is being overrun. It happens every year at this time, of course. Tourists just can’t resist our holiday windows and that 84-foot-tall Norway spruce. But with the mighty greenback suffering the currency equivalent of a staph infection, we’re seeing more of them: strolling the sidewalks in horizontal lines of seven instead of three, staying in more places, from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and spending more money—much more—buying the iPods you can’t afford (yes, the 16GB ones with the 3.5-inch screens—sigh). ...

Read the rest of the introduction

Go touring with…

	The Brit: Tommy Anarchic, 26, London
	The Indian: Sumantra Naik, 28, Mumbai
	The Japanese: Shinichiro “Shin” Ashida, 22; Mihoko Dan, 21; and Aya Fujio, 22; from Fukuoka, Japan. Shyoichiro Iwai, 31, from Hokkaido, Japan.
	The Americans: Kathy Nicolson, 37; Renea Kennedy, 30; Lisa Brewer, 47; Heather Hall, 27; from Gilbert, Arizona
	The Australians: Kerry Soorley, 50, and Carl Edwards, 50, from Tweed Heads, New South Wales
	The Germans: Rita, 66, and Erwin, 69, Mueller, Germany
	The Swiss: Annina Gaehwiler, 26 from Zurich and Rita Gaehwiler, 52 from Rüti, Switzerland

More tourist coping tips

	Can you spot the tourist?: Native Gothamites pride themselves on their unerring ability to sniff out interlopers. In this quiz we present 20 photos—10 locals, 10 tourists. Put your instincts to the test.
	Tourists ticketed: Our TONYPD officer hits the streets to correct annoying out-of-towner behavior. Unsuspecting old man in short shorts, watch out!
	Sights unseen: How to save the tourists from themselves.
	Double duty hotels: These ten guesthouses are not only ideal for stashing incoming friends and family, they offer a little something for the home crowd, too.
	Guide to guidebooks: These intricately crafted specialty primers can illuminate fascinating aspects of New York City to tourists and natives alike.
	NYC tourism quiz: You see these cameras-on-layards creatures all over the city, but how much do you really know about our ubiquitous visitors?
	Straight into Brooklyn: Tourists visit the outer borough—and stay there.
	Exchange Prudence: How weak is the American dollar? We ask these greedy, thieving bastards how much they saved.

Also in this issue

Lower art side: A slew of galleries have abandoned West Chelsea and reopened in the shadow of the spanking New Museum. Bowery bums, make way for starving artists.

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Time Out New York / Issue 635 : Nov 29–Dec 5, 2007

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Comments

Posted by doughen on Mon, Dec 10, 07, at 4:52pm

Attention Visitors to New York City! If your idea of a good time in the Big Apple is coming here to go to Nike Town, Red Lobster, and the Disney Store in Times Square, do us New Yorkers a favor and go to the Mall of America Instead. What the hell is the point of coming to this city to go to a bunch of places that you can find in a mall. Why don't you support the Mom and Pop restaurants that make this city unique. We native New Yorkers hate the chain restaurants like Olive Garden, and TGI Fridays... This is not real NYC food! Don't come here and crowd the streets to stand on the corner and watch Good Morning America through the damn window and by a bunch of stupid t-shirts in Times Square. Have a real New York experience and go down to Little Italy for a cannoli, or go to Katz's for a pastrami sandwich. Or go to Grays Papaya and watch weirdos in the Village. Otherwise, just stay at home and go crowd the mall in your own neighborhood. Thanks for helping out the real businesses of this City, not the chain restaurants taking over the world!

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